Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
With over 4,000 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the all-time most popular recipe on my website. It is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Chunks of well-marbled beef are seared in a hot pan, then gently braised with garlic and onions in a rich wine-based broth. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce. It takes a few hours to make, but the recipe is mostly hands-off. Go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time; the flavor improves the longer it sits.
This stew is part of my classic French recipe collection, which includes similar slow-cooking comfort food recipes, like coq au vin and braised short ribs, and impressive main courses, like steak au poivre or roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce.
what you’ll need to make beef stew with carrots & potatoes
The most important thing is to start with the right cut of meat. You want to buy chuck roast that is well-marbled—that means it should have a good amount of white veins of fat running through it. Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
How To Make Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
Begin by removing any large chunks of fat that are easy to get to (like the one my knife is pointing to below), but don’t overdo it with the trimming, as the fat helps make the beef tender.
Next, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a bit of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and brown the meat in batches.
This step is a bit time-consuming but browning the meat adds depth and dimension to the stew. (Note: it’s important not to crowd the pan — if you try to brown all the meat at once, it will steam instead of sear and you won’t get all that lovely color and flavor.)
Remove the meat and add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor.
Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.
Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour.
Stir until the flour is dissolved.
Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes.
Return to the oven and continue cooking for one hour, or until the meat is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking. You can leave out the potatoes and serve it over buttered egg noodles, or toss in some frozen peas or sautéed mushrooms at the very end. Either way, it’s soul-satisfying comfort food for a cold night.
You may also like
- Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
- Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Guinness Lamb Stew with Vegetables
- Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
- Coq Au Vin
- Meatloaf
Video Tutorial
Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck (well-marbled), cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on a diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack in the lower middle position.
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve the stew warm -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
- Note: If you don’t have a Dutch oven or covered pot that is appropriate for the oven, the stew can be cooked on the stove. The timing will be the same and it should be cooked over the lowest setting.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 539
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 54g
- Sodium: 1189mg
- Cholesterol: 143mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Terrific recipe, but an hour is insufficient to properly cook the potatoes and carrots.
I had to return to oven for another 30 minutes.
The best beef stew we’ve ever eaten!
The meat was tender… I did not use wine but I did use my own homemade bone broth.
This is a wonderful dish. you develop such great flavors. love your single pot cooking style. I use it whenever possible. Prep was a bit long but the outcome was definitely worth it. This is a staple.
Has anyone made this in an Instant Pot? Thoughts? I would cook as described and cook meat for about 35 minutes, then open and add carrots and potatoes and cook until done.
Hi Judy, A number of readers have commented that they have made this in an Instant Pot and have been happy with the results. One recent comment indicated: “I cooked at high pressure for 35 min, although next time I will add 5 more min, then depressurized, added the potatoes and carrots, and cooked for another 10 min. Also added a bit less liquid, since you lose none in the pressure cooker.” Hope that helps!
FANTASTIC!! So… I decided to pour the stew (as written) into a casserole dish and cover with puff pastry – OMGosh…. heaven on earth. Probably didn’t need the extra calories… but, it was totally worth it!
worked out perfectly. the meat was tender, the gravy was flaverful. I added sauted mushrooms at the very end. Thanks you for a wonderful dish.
I wanted to love this recipe, but it did not taste beefy which was disappointing after so much work. It seemed to have too much wine & balsamic (weird because I make chicken coq au vin that is all wine), onion pieces were to small, not enough herbs and garlic. To rescue it I removed the fully cooked meat then “beefed up” (no pun intended) the sauce with a Sur La Table demi-glaze pouch, more garlic cooked in 2 T butter, 5 slices of precooked bacon, 2 more bay leaves, a teaspoon each of cumin, paprika and garlic powder, more thyme and more carrots to get decent flavor.
Amazing. So flavorful. So easy to make. It’s a new favorite at our house.
Absolute perfection! This stew has such rich, vibrant flavors. I ran out of space in the dutch oven so only used one of the two cups of water and it was still perfect (just less brothy). We are garlic and onion lovers so I used a couple extra cloves and about half an onion more than what the recipe called for. I loved the way you added the flour after browning the meat. A lot of recipes have you adding the flour before browning. I think adding it afterwards helped more with thickening the broth. This stew was wonderful the first night and as you noted in the instructions, even more tasty the next day. Thank you so much for this recipe!
The Best beef stew recipe I have ever made. Delicious and easy .
Thank you…
I added too many potatoes,carrots and mushrooms and I need more gravy. What can I do? I’ve made this many times before and it’s always perfect. Thanks.
Hi Sarah, it won’t taste exactly the same, but I’d add more beef broth to it.
My husband and I love this recipe. I like to add 1 teaspoon of better than bouillon beef while cooking the onions and I substitute the two cups of water for two more cups of beef broth. It is such a perfect balance of rich wine and beef flavors we can’t get enough! It has definitely replaced my crock pot pot roast I used to throw together.
Absolutely delicious. Followed recipe exactly. This is definitely a keeper!
This was absolutely delicious. We are finally having some cooler weather in Arizona and this recipe was the perfect comfort food. It’s definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Jen, if I want to make your amazing beef stew in advance and freeze, should I cook everything other than the potatoes and carrots, freeze this, and add the vegetables after defrosting, cooking until tender?
Many thanks
Hi Judi, You can actually cook the stew entirely, with the carrots and potatoes — it freezes beautifully.
Beautiful stew. Followed recipe almost to a T but am on the low FODMAP diet per doc so omitted garlic and subbed white rice flour for AP flour. Turned out lovely, the stew was the absolute perfect consistency and veggies were cooked perfectly and not mushy! Best of all the entire house smelled incredible. This was just the best thing on a crisp fall night. Definitely going into rotation.
This recipe does not work. It has too much wine, not enough onion, gravy is not thick enough. The flavors are just off. I rescued it but Imwont make it again.
My son-in-law who doesn’t like stew said he “didn’t know it could taste like that!” And my husband said he could “just drink the gravy!”. The best I’ve ever made!
Amazing recipe! Got a bit of a late start with preparation for a weeknight meal so I made a couple of adjustments – I preheated to 375* and roasted initially for about 1/2 an hour then lowered temp to 325* for remainder of cooking time. While the beef was braising, I lightly sauteed the carrots & potatoes in EVOO & butter then added some additional beef stock and braised the vegetables separately while the beef was braising. Then at the appointed time, I combined the 2 dishes to complete the cooking /melding process. I did add a small amount of slurry to help thicken a bit due to the extra beef stock. Absolutely delicious – the beef was “spoon” tender (forget the fork) and the vegetables perfect. And, two nights later when serving leftovers, it was even more delicious! Thank you!
Can l cook it in a crockpot? This is the best stew – love it
Hi Violet, Glad you like it! I haven’t personally made it in one, but a number of readers have. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the crockpot for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Enjoy!
Hi Jenn
Please can you tell me if I can use garlic infused oil instead of the garlic cloves as I have to avoid garlic after trying the fodmap diet for Crohn’s disease.
I’m okay with garlic infused oil, I don’t get any painful symptoms, but could you help me with the amount I would need to use?
Looking forward to trying this lovely recipe!
Many thanks in advance
Rose
Hi Rose, I’d just replace the olive oil with the garlic-infused oil — it will still be tasty. Hope you enjoy!
This was so good – way better than the same old crockpot beef stew I’ve been making for years. I followed the recipe to a T except for the potatoes – I used russets and cut them the same size as the carrots. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
This is truly a one pot wonder! My husband had two bowls and asked the next day were we having it again for dinner!
Will be making this again for my whole family on Chanukah!
This Recipe was great and easy to follow. My whole family loved it so much that I Had to make it two days in a row. I used fresh beef from our farm what a great flavorful stew. For many years I would turn down beef stew due to a bad experience with it. This Recipe has made me fall in love with stew again. Thank you
I made the recipe exactly as stated. It was excellent yesterday, and even better today. Thank you, Jen, for another fabulous comfort food dish!
Excellent!! Followed your recipe to the “letter” and loved the marvelous taste of every ingredient. Thank You for also making it visually simple to follow. It’s my new favorite stew recipe.
Sue H. in CA
So I want to chime in and praise this recipe just like the others. With all the outstanding comments I knew it was going to be good, but that good? Wow! Three of us at dinner just kept saying “yum!” repeatedly. I did braise it a bit longer, reduced some of the liquid on the stove top, added a little more salt and pepper and right before serving added a couple of tablespoons of butter to give it that silky finish. Can’t wait to make it again, and put a big batch in the freezer. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
What can I replace the red wine with?
Hi Amanda, you can replace the wine with additional beef broth. Hope you enjoy!
I look forward to trying this recipe. The family is NOT a fan of cooked carrots. Any other suggestions for a vegetable to substitute? Or if I cook without carrots are any adjustments needed to the recipe?
You can use more potatoes in place of the carrots, or if they will eat parsnips or turnips, those work as well. Many readers have also commented that they’ve added celery, peas (at the end), or sautéed mushrooms. Hope that helps!
Perfect recipe as usual-no changes, tweaks or additions. Also made the buttermilk biscuits which were awesome. Another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ recipe from Jen!
So, I make this early this morning for dinner tomorrow evening. At the 2-hour mark, the potatoes and carrots needed more time and the liquid was thin, like tap water. Same thing after an additional 45 minutes, very watery but the veggies had the perfect “bite”. It this the way it should be or can I do something to thicken the broth?
Hi Dorothea, It shouldn’t be really watery. It may thicken up a bit as it sits in the fridge, but if it’s too thin for your liking when you reheat it, make a paste with 1 tablespoon soft butter and 1 tablespoon flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer; it should thicken up. Another option when reheating, bring it to a gentle boil and simmer, uncovered, until the broth is thickened to your liking. Hope that helps!
Thank you for responding Jen.
If needed, after reheating I will do the butter/flour paste. The meat is fork tender and the flavor was one target. During oven time the aroma in the kitchen was delicious!!
~Dorothea
Perfect! The butter/flour paste tightened up the liquid just the right amount. The meal was a hit.
So glad it worked out!
What size dutch oven is needed?
Hi, KDW, The pot I use is 5.5 quarts – and there’s a little room to spare. Hope that helps!
Is a stock pot ok or do you need a dutch oven?
A stock pot is perfectly fine!
I have an odd question. I have leftover cooked beef from a roast. Would it work if I added the cooked beef to the liquid, probably would need to shorten the cook time?
Thanks so much.
Hi Jan, I wouldn’t recommend it. No. It would be overcooked b/c the sauce needs to cook for a long time. Also, the beef wouldn’t get caramelized. Sorry!
Would it be okay to use short ribs (thick cut without bones) instead of chuck meat? Thank you for creating and sharing great recipes. Both my sister and I are fans.
So glad you like the recipes! , I’ve never made this with short ribs, but a few readers have commented that they have successfully. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Can I use cooking wine instead? Maybe adjust the salt?
Hi Connie, I definitely wouldn’t recommend using cooking wine here. Cooking wine has additives and preservatives that add sodium and other flavors to it so is not a great substitute for the “real thing.” Sorry!
Please don’t use cooking wine in any recipe. As an avid wine drinker, I don’t know why this product continues to sell. You can find reasonable red wines at Trader Joes or Total Wine and even your supermarket may carry them. Only use wines that you would drink yourself. If you’re not a wine drinker talk to one of the employees in a wine store. They can be super helpful and please let them know your price range too.
Jenn, this is nirvana! The best I’ve ever made. Keep the goodies coming – my family loves your recipes.
I’ve made this recipe a number of times and I’ve discarded my other similar recipes. This is a wonderful winter stew. I do add some pearl onions because I like them.
Thanks for another FANTASTIC tasting recipe but this is NOT Beef Bourguignon !
No bacon, mushrooms, pearl onions … Totally different recipe but delicious.
Love your site and your cookbook. All your recipe work !
I love Once Upon a Chef and use Jennifer’s recipes a lot, so I hate to quibble, but this beef stew, while delicious, is boeuf aux carrotes, not boeuf bourgignon, which is made with lardons, a bouquet garni of thyme, and bay leaves, pearl onions, and mushrooms (optional). It is rather unusual to put potatoes in it, as the classic accompaniment is mashed potatoes, and never carrots as they sweeten the sauce too much. A carrot can certainly be used in making the beef stock used in the dish, but a bunch of carrots in the dish itself will negate the flavor of the wine and make it – well – not boeuf bourgignon.
I’d followed your recipe step-by-step. My husband and I loved it soooo much. We made some egg noddles as well. Tks so much for sharing. I’ll make it again.
After starting this in the oven can you convert it into a crock pot? Any thoughts on how many hours or adjustments? Thank you.
Hi Joe, If you want to use a slow cooker, I’d sear the beef on the stove first as the recipe indicates and then put it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Enjoy!
Love your recipes and have all your cookbooks! I know this might be a long shot, but can I sub the meat for portobello mushrooms? Recently turned plant based and looking to adapt some of my go to favorite recipes to vegan. Thanks!
Hi Shannon, I wouldn’t recommend it — I think you’d be disappointed by the end result – sorry!!
This is the absolute best version of beef stew/ beef burgundy! I made this glamping last weekend in my Lodge dutch oven, over the fire (hickory) and the meat was velvety melt in your mouth delicious… lots of sauce… I hate to say it but it blows away Jacque and Julia’s versions…I would make this for an easy elegant dinner party. Merci beaucoup!
Hi. I love this stew recipe and make it often. Unfortunately, a family member has just been diagnosed with celiac disease so I need to start thickening the sauce without flour. Do you think it would be OK to use cornstarch and, if yes, how would you recommend I do that? Thanks so much!
Glad you like the stew! You could use gluten-free flour to coat the beef but if you want to use cornstarch, you’ll want to wait until the very end and then make a “slurry” by combining 2T cornstarch with 2T cold water; mix until completely smooth. Whisk half of the slurry into the stew and bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop and simmer until the broth is thickened and any starchy taste has been cooked away. If you want the broth thicker, add the remaining slurry and repeat. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!
Thanks again for getting back to me! I used the gluten free flour as suggested. I had been hesitant because I was afraid it would clump up but it worked perfectly. No need to fuss with the cornstarch slurry🙂
Hi, This looks great. I am making this for someone who is gluten-free. Is there a thickener that you prefer? Corn starch or Arrowroot starch? or something else? Thank you!
Hi Beth, You can replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour. Hope they enjoy!
When you think stew, this is how you *hope* it tastes!! This was absolutely delicious and will forever be my go-to stew recipe!
Can I add turnips ?
Sure!
I want to make this stew today and serve tomorrow. Any tips on storage and reheating? Thanks you much
I’d store it covered in the fridge and reheat it on the stove on low heat. (And it’s even better the second day!)
Jen, OH MY GOODNESS! This is the most delicious Beef Stew recipe I have ever made. No reason to make any other. Followed the recipe except for adding a cup and a half of Peas. Even though it has the potatoes, I still made some wide noodles. The sauce is incredible. Seriously loved this. Thank you again. Everything I make of yours is a winner!
I tried this recipe and it came out more like soup than stew. What did I do wrong?
Hi Jessica, Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? If not and you still have some left over, you can thicken it. while reheating it (on the stove), make a paste with 1 tablespoon soft butter and 1 tablespoon flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer; it should thicken up. Another option when reheating, bring it to a gentle boil and simmer, uncovered, until the broth is thickened to your liking. Hope that helps!
O.M.G. This was so delicious I am in love and never want it to end! I followed the recipe exactly as written (unusual for me) and it just couldn’t have been any better. This was my first of your recipes to follow and believe me, it won’t be the last. Next recipe….Chicken Marsala! Thank you for sharing your wealth of cooking knowledge and for sharing with us all. Blessings on you and your family from me and all of mine!
💗
Hello Jenn. Love so many of your recipes and trying this one next. Question – when a recipe includes salt and doesn’t specify what kind, should I use table salt or kosher salt? I typically use kosher salt for cooking. Thank you!
Hi Debbie, When a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. Hope you enjoy the stew!
Question: I want to make this for 9 people. Does this recipe double well? Would you recommend changing any of the cooking times in the oven etc.? Any other tips for making a large quantity?
Thank you!
Hi Patrizia Yes, the recipe doubles nicely. You don’t need to make any recipe modifications but you’ll need a very large pot. If your pot won’t fit into the oven, feel free to cook it on the stove. Just give it a stir periodically so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
Amazing recipe. I did mine a tad bit differently. I used an extra cup of red wine beef broth (was just what was in the pantry), half the amount of wine, and an oxo cube. It was a 10/10 and my partner said it was the best stew he ever had! Only thing is I wished I had added some peas for colour.